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Report - Clarence Graving Docks, Liverpool 19/02/10

28DL Full Member

Clarence Dock is was first opened on 16th September, 1830, and wasnamed after William, Duke of Clarence. It was build as predominately a steamship facility, to avoid setting fire to wooden hull ships.

The main dock was filled in in 1929, and on the site a powerstation was built, which was used untill the mid 1990's, before it was demolished. The graving dock was still in use untill November 2005 (unconfirmed, but pictures suggest so), by Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders (know known as Cammell Laird, after a name change in 2008).

The dock was also situated along the Liveprool overhead railway route, and had its own train station (Clarence dock station). This was in use up untill 1959, when the line was deemed unsafe, and it was demolished. (Traces of the stairs can still be seen in the wall of the graving dock, though nothing else remains).

(Looking north from Clarence Dock Station in 1956, copyright railpictures.net)

Ship getting fixed back in the day.

I cant find anything as to why it closed down recently, its probably due to the shipbuilding industry being in decline, or maybe the dock was just getting too old, and costly to repair.

Anyway, explored alone, heres the pics:

The 'dock office' contained loads of junk, along with a series of electricity boxes. The meter was still ticking away, so someone must be paying..

Looking towards the warehouse

I tried to gain access to the warehouse, but the front was flooded and I was wearing trainers

The white building is a canteen, and the brown one behind it appeared to be an office/medical room.

Behind the warehouse was some sort of motorised pulley, maybe to do with opening the dock gates?

All up and down the docks were stairs down to dock floor, but as with the docks, these were flooded. The chute would have been for getting equipment down easier?

The most interesting room was the canteen, as it would have been left 5 years ago.

Milk, anyone?

Next to the medical room/office, was a room that had been trashed, the fireplace was pretty cool though.